The Troubles Crumlin Road

holy cross church, scene of body find in 1986

as interface area containing considerable protestant , catholic populations crumlin road scene of number of murders , attacks during course of northern ireland troubles.

a series of attacks occurred on road in 1972, carried out loyalist groups. red hand commando murdered 2 catholic civilians on road, 1 on 8 february , on 11 november. in between uvf, group closely linked, murdered catholic on 15 april whilst on 30 november uda killed catholic outside mater hospital. meanwhile, on 21 july 1972, part of bloody friday series of bomb attacks, pira exploded device @ petrol station on road, albeit without deaths. further pira attack occurred on 19 november 1974 when gunmen entered glazier s shop , shot jim anderson , fellow uda veteran billy hull. although both wounded neither man died in attack.

activity continued , on 21 march 1975 protestant civilian died 4 months after being shot uvf during bank robbery on road whilst on 10 june uvf member killed pira in shop. following year uda killed 2 catholics on bus on 17 june whilst on 28 october joint operation uvf , uda saw gunmen enter mater hospital shot , killed former sinn féin vice-president máire drumm patient @ time.

during failed 1977 ulster workers council strike uda member kenny mcclinton boarded bus on shot dead harry bradshaw, protestant driving vehicle. following killing uda wrote widow sheila bradshaw stating sorry murder , believed husband catholic, enclosing ten-pound note compensation. however, according martin dillon attack had been ordered leading uda figure james craig knew citybus driver on crumlin road protestant. craig wanted send out message other protestant bus drivers failure support strike had done in 1974 not going unnoticed. on 10 may off-duty ulster defence regiment soldier killed uvf bomb @ petrol station on road. attack linked strike petrol station had continued trade during stoppage.

on 16 september 1986 catholic civilian shot , killed on grounds of holy cross church in attack claimed protestant action force , uvf cover name. murder said in retaliation killing of uvf member john bingham 2 days earlier. tit-for-tat killings become norm crumlin road saw evidence of strategy republican , loyalist groups in 1987. on 3 july catholic civilian, had formerly been internee, found dead @ disused quarry off upper crumlin road after being murdered ulster freedom fighters . 4 days later member of group killed pira in ligoniel road snooker hall.

mural commemorating jackie coulter, killed on crumlin road

the road became associated uvf activity , in february 1988 uvf arms haul, containing rpg7 rocket launcher 26 warheads, 38 assault rifles, 15 brownings, 100 grenades , 40,000 rounds of ammunition found following searches in upper crumlin road. uvf killed further catholic civilian on road on 2 september 1989 had 1 of own gunmen shot , killed british army after attack. on 20 december 1992 uvf killed catholic @ upper crumlin road home whilst on 12 may 1994 uff killed catholic, time @ home of relative.

activity slowed down considerably following 1994 ceasefires although attacks linked loyalist feuds have been recorded. in 1997 ulster independence movement politician clifford peeples had crumlin road flower shop ransacked in attack blamed on uvf members. peeples, former uvf member, had left movement , become associated loyalist volunteer force (lvf), splinter group involved in feud uvf. uvf struck again on 21 august 2000 when 2 loyalists associated uda brigadier johnny adair, jackie coulter , bobby mahood, shot , killed whilst sitting in jeep on crumlin road. adair had moved support lvf in struggles uvf, resulting in feud developing between uda west belfast brigade , uvf. later year on 24 september stephen mckeag, former associate of adair s had fallen out of favour, found dead @ home @ florence court off crumlin road on 24 september 2000. speculated adair had had mckeag killed although post-mortem revealed death caused overdose of painkillers , cocaine. of supporters continued blame adair however, , claimed adair s men had entered house, attacked mckeag , forced him swallow lethal dose of cocaine, although no evidence support claim existed.